How to Build a Business Plan For Your Personal Brand

If you were marketing a big brand for a living, the notion of outlining an annual marketing business plan would be second nature to you. Those of us who have managed brands through the years are very much used to the process.

Every year, usually right about now actually, marketers carve out what needs to be accomplished in the next year -- how it’s all going to get done and how much it’s going to cost, with a course of action for each piece needed to accomplish the brand’s goals. This is done on an annual basis, but also on a rolling basis for one, three, five and ten years out.

When it comes to your personal brand and what you want to accomplish, you should do the same.

Start out with a simple exercise and write out your goals. It may sound obvious, but you need to know where you want to go before you can create a plan for how to get there. You can’t move year-to-year without knowing what direction you want to head in the long term.

While planning out your brand, you need to be very specific about your goals. What do you want to accomplish, both personally and professionally over the next few years? What do you want, both short-term and long-term?

This exercise may seem obvious, but it’s not always easy.

Do you want to have children? Do you want a life partner? Where do you want to live? What kind of company do you want to work for? What do you aspire to do in your chosen field?